


Speaks in Hands

by MiniNephthys



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Sign Language, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-14
Updated: 2015-10-14
Packaged: 2018-04-26 09:35:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4999771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniNephthys/pseuds/MiniNephthys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frisk knows a few basic signs.  (Most of them are rude.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Speaks in Hands

Frisk has an older cousin who knows sign language. She took it in school.

She’d always been praised for her politeness and perfect etiquette, but when she got annoyed she would sign something rude. She never told Frisk exactly what she was signing, but Frisk knew it was rude because she would refuse to translate for them or teach them any of those words.

Frisk has picked up on a few of those phrases.

It’s after one of Sans’ practical jokes that Frisk remembers one of those phrases. They sign a ‘B’ handshape at their chin, then bring it down quickly, before they hold their hands with their palms facing towards them and flip them over. Then they repeat the second sign with their palms. They think that part means something like ‘finish’, but they’re not sure about the first one: they just know that together the expression is something their cousin used when she was really annoyed by her parents.

Sans stops what he’s doing to look at them funny. “When’d you learn to sign things like that?”

Frisk blinks. “My cousin. What does it mean?”

“Nothing. Nothing I’m gonna repeat to a kid, anyway.” Sans signs an ‘A’ in a clockwise circle over his chest a few times, a ‘sorry’, but the smile on his face suggests he’s not being serious with that.

Frisk doesn’t mind. Their attention has been caught by other things. “You know how to sign?”

“Sure do.”

“The same way humans do? But that seems weird.” They’ve been separated for a long, long time, after all. Wouldn’t languages change over the years?

Sans shrugs. “Sign language is as old as when humans and monsters still lived together. There are some new words as technology advances, but it’s mostly the same to make it easier for kids to talk to the older monsters.”

“Wouldn’t monsters have a hard time with sign language?” they ask. “Some of them don’t have hands and things.”

“It’s not perfect,” he replies. “But it gets the job done most of the time. We’ve got professional interpreters for when it doesn’t.”

That makes sense. They just have one more question. “Why’d you learn to sign, Sans?”

Sans stills for a moment. “...No reason.”

Frisk looks at them dubiously. They extend their pointer and pinky finger, then push their hand toward Sans. They don’t know the exact definition of this one either, but their cousin used it when people lied to her face.

“You’re kind of a rude kid sometimes, aren’t ya?” Sans asks. “But I’m not telling you any more no matter what you say. Some things are better off left alone.”

Frisk shrugs, and pretends to let the matter drop. After a bit, Sans relaxes and ruffles their hair with one bony hand.

Frisk knows Sans is serious about this, but all the same…

They’re at that age where they’re supposed to be curious about things, aren’t they? And how much trouble could talking in hands really get them into?

**Author's Note:**

> According to my research, the first sign Frisk uses is 'bitch please' and the second one is 'bullshit'.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Doorways](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5031880) by [elijahking (orphan_account)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/elijahking)




End file.
